Looped fabrics



(No Model.) 5 Sheets-8heet 1.

v .J.KOHLER.

MACHINE FOR SEWING LOOPED FABRICS. No. 520,208 Patented May 22", 1894.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. KOHLER. MACHINE FOR SEWING LOOPED FABRICS.

' Patented May 22 114! ru'noun. umouumu COIFANY,

Imam-on. n. c

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

J. KOHLER. MAGHINE FOB. SEWING LOOPED FABRICS. No. 520,208. Patented May 22, 1894.

7n: "Anon-e mam cwPANY.

armies n. c.

wen im/ (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

J. KOHLER. MACHINE FOR SEWING LOOPED FABRICS.

No. 520,208. Patented May 22, 1894.

1:12 rumouu. u'mouumm com-AMY.

wAmrou. u. a

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

J. KOHLER. MAGHINB FOR SEWING LOOPED FABRICS. No. 520,208. Patented May 22, 1894.

iij .24 [2 .25. B 26 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JULIUS KGHLER, OF LIMBAOH, GERMANY.

MACHINE FOR SEWING LOOPED FABRICS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 520,208, dated May 22, 1894.

Application filed September 9, 1890. Serial No. 364,405. (No model.) Patented in England Decemher29,1838, ITO-18,975, March 16, 1889,1I0. 4,576, July 27,1889, No. 11,947, and August 14, 1889, Ila-12,814; in France January 28, 1889, No. 195,664, April 11,1889, No. 197,382, and August 17, 1889, Nm 290,238; in Germany July 27,1889, No. 51,145, and in Spain February 16 1891,N| 11,637-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JULIUS K'CBHLER, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Limbach,8axony,in the German Empire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Sewing Together the Edges of Knitted and Similar Fabrics, (for which Letters Patent have been obtained in Germany, No. 51,145, dated July 27, 1889; in England, No. 18,975, dated December 29, 1888, No. 4,576, dated March 16, 1889, No. 11,947, dated July 27, 1889, and No. 12,814, dated August 14, 1889; in France, No. 195,664, dated January 28, 1889, No. 197,382, dated April 11, 1889, and No. 200,238, dated August 17, 1889, and in Spain, No. 11,637, dated February 16, 1891,) of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is materially to increase the precision and speed of operation and consequently the general working capacity of overcast sewing machines, to allow of the ready adjustment of its various parts, and lastly to make the machine stronger and more durable than similar machines have proved to be hitherto.

The arrangement of my improved machine is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a vertical longitudinal section; Fig. 2 a plan with the cover or top plated removed, and Fig. 3a bottom plan view. Figs. 4 and 5 are detail perspective views illustrating the manner of forming seams with one and two threads respectively. Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation showing the manner of attaching the fabric-guide to the machine. Fig. 7 is a like view showing a machine in which the feed roller B is difierently supported. Fig. 8 is a detail elevation of the looper and holder and levers or arms connected therewith. Fig. 9 is a plan view of said parts. Fig. 10 is a detail sectional elevation showing the connection between the levers or arms G and G Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the feed rollers and adjacent parts hereinafter referred to. Fig. 12 is a sectional view of a portion of one feed roller andwebK. Fig. 13 is a plan view of the rail L. Figs. 14 and 15 are a plan and a vertical section hereinafter referred to. Figs. 16, 17, and 18 are respectively aside, a plan and a front view illustrating the adjustable needle and thread clamping devices. Fig. 19

is a side view illustrating an ordinary threadclamping device. Fig. 20 is a vertical section of the feeding devices and Fig. 21 a plan view thereof. Fig. 22 is a perspective view of parts of the feeding device detached. Fig. 23 is a side view of the main portion of the guide for the fabric provided with a selvage; Fig. 24 a like view of the guide complete; Fig. 25 a front view of Fig. 24; Fig. 26 a cross section; Fig. 27 an elevation of the lower part of the guide; Fig. 28 a plan view of the complete device; Fig. 29 a side view of the main part of another guide which I contemplate using for fabrics not provided with a selvage. Fig. 30 is a like view showing the part V of the guide provided with the parts W and Y. Fig. 31 is a side view of the complete device; Fig. 32 a front view thereof, and Fig. 33 a plan view.

The fabric is fed to the horizontally movable stitching needle by the two feed Wheels or rollers A and B, to which the feeding mechanism (presentlytobefully described) imparts such a periodical or step-by-step motion that each succeeding mesh or loop of the edge of the fabric is engaged in turn by the neodle. The shaft B of the feed roller B (Figs. 1 and 3) has firmly attached to it the shorter arm of the lever D which is operated by the user of the machine, through the medium of a pedal, (not shown) in such a manner that one feed roller B recedes from the otherA so that the goods may be inserted between the two. The feed roller B, Fig. 1, together with its long sleeve or tubular shaft 13 rotates upon the fixed shaft B, the'said tubular shaft B being geared, by means of toothed wheels E and E to the shaft A.

The needle bar F is set in motion in the ordinary way by means of an eccentric F and a fork or yoke F The looper G is adapted to receive a threefold motion, viz., in the directions of the needle, transversely t0 the needle, and up and down. For the purpose ofimparting motion to the looper transversely to the needle, the same is adj ustably secured within a holder G by means of a set-screw 9 said holder being secured to an arm G which is in turn secured to an arm G, the latterbeing provided with a roller G which rides in a cam-groove formed in the disk G mounted on the shaft H. The movement of the looper in the direction of the needle is obtained by means of the arm g secured to the shaft g, said arm g being provided with a pin or stud g which rides in a cam-groove formed in the face of the disk 9 also mounted on shaft H. The arm G as will be seen is pivoted as at G to the upper end of the arm g carried by the shaft g. The third or up and down movement of the looper is but of a very limited extent and consists in a slight rising motion produced by the bottom of the groove in the disk G acting upon roller G the arm G having for the purpose secured thereto one end of a spring g which is secured at its opposite end to the housing of the machine.

This sewing machine is adapted to operate with either one or two threadsin the former case thread being supplied to the needle only, and in the latter case to the needle and looper. The manner of producing a seam with one thread is illustrated in Fig. 4 in which only the needle is provided with a thread. In the formation of the seam, the needle enters the fabrics and its thread is engaged by the looper on its forward movement and during this engagement the needle is withdrawn from the fabrics while at the same time the looper moves along and carries the needle thread over the edges of the fabrics and the latter being fed along the portion 1' of the needle thread will be laid along the face of the fabric and the needle on its next forward movement passes through the loop 2' which has been freed by the looper and then through the fabrics again, the thread of the needle being again engaged by the looper on its next forward movement and the described operation repeated forthe next stitch and so 011. A seam so formed requires but a short length of thread by pulling which however it can easily be destroyed. This drawback is avoided in the overcast seam obtained by means of two threads, as illustrated in Fig. 5. The looper and the needle are in this case each provided with a thread, but it is not the loop formed by the thread of the needle but the looper thread, which here takes up its position around the needle.

In Fig. 5 after the needle has entered the fabrics, the loop 1, formed by said needle upon its backward movement is entered by the looper on its forward movement which carries its thread 2 through the loop formed by the needle and said looper then raises its own thread over the edges of the fabrics afterwhich the fabrics are fed along whereby the portion 3' of the needle thread will be laid along the face of the fabric. The looper then upon its backward movement forms the loop 3 which is then entered by the needle after which a second loop at is formed by said needle on its next backward movement, which loop 4 is entered by the looper on its next forward movement and so on until the fabrics are sewed together.

The manner of operating thelooper and the needle is the same for both kinds of seam so that all that is necessary to change the nature of the seam, is to replace the looper. Thread is supplied from the spool 9 Fig. 1 being passed over or through the drag or tension device f and the catch-spring h previous to reaching the looper and needle respectively. In one end G of this lever G which end is an angular extension, is provided a slot into which is inserted the arm G. By means of the screw 1 this piece may be adj usted laterally and it may be firmly secured in the adjusted position by means of the nut 2. The holder G of the looper is provided with a shank which may be moved backward and forward within an opening provided for the purpose in the piece G and is secured in the adjusted position by screws 3 and 4. The looper itself is capable of upward and downward adj ustmentwithin the head of the said holder G and may be secured in its adjusted position by means of the screw 5. It will thus be seen that by this arrangement the looper can be readily adjusted horizontally in two difierent directions and also vertically.

For the purpose of retaining the needle in position during its operation and insure the formation of a proper loop on the upper side the needle is embedded in and guided by a groove provided in the needle block Fig. 11. This block has been hitherto retained upon the flat end of the shaft or pivot on which the front feed roller B rotates by means of a screw 11 only, so that it frequently happened that the block itself y turned a little way out of its position and that the point of the neodle struck against it in consequence and broke off. In this improved machine the shaft B Fig. 1, is provided at its upper end with a square projection g upon which the needle-block is firmlysecured being held in place by the screw y.

Considering the fact that it is impossible in using feeding apparatus such as have been hitherto constructed,to carryforward the work sufficiently far for the needle to reach the unwound portion situated behind the feed it has been deemed necessary to provide a special mesh-holder. This consists of a steel webKFig.1l,extendingalongthe innerwallof the feed roller A and projecting on the right side of the needle, t'. e., on the side on which the goods are presented to it, somewhat above the edge of the said roller as is clearly shown in Fig. 12. Owing to this arrangement the last row of meshes w Fig. 12 is carried -toward the needle in an erect position along side the needle-block ywhich similarly to the web K slightly projects above the edge of the feeding roller on one side of the needle.

Up to the present time the means for vertically adjustingthe position of the fabric have consisted merelyof a flat steel spring,

which was securely screwed onto the needle-- block and it was part of the task of the attending operative to set the goods as they were fed along higher or lower as might be required by bending the said spring by hand. To provide a more convenient and certain means for this purpose I provide my machine with a small rail L Figs. 11 and 13, bent at right angles -and slotted at its rear portion as at 1. Through this slot is passed a set screw 1 which is adapted to screw into the block y, so that by first loosening the screw and adjusting the rail L to the desired height and then tightening the screw said rail will be firmly held in the position desired. Thus the fabric which is fed along beneath the rail L will be prevented from rising higher than the same, so, it will be seen that the rail determines at all times the height to which the fabric is permitted to rise.

A mostimportant desideratum in overcaststitch sewing machines is that the needle should at all times move immediately above the feed roller. The consequence is that when it is desired for example to substitute a coarser needle for a finer one the former owing to its greater thickness must be arranged somewhat higher than the latter. To provide for such difierences of level the needle-bar head is provided with the arrangement shown in Figs. 16, 17 and 18. A slide b, dovetailed or beveled as at 5 (see Fig. 17) is provided with a vertical groove b in which works a threaded thu mb-screw or rod 19 whose lower end bears upon the needle-bar head, so that by turning the rod 6, the slide 19 may be raised or lowered as desired. The lower portion of slide 17, is provided at one side with a semi-cylindrical groove b for the reception of the needle a.

a indicates a small plate which is provided upon its inner face near its lower edge with a semi-cylindrical groove b which is adapted in conjunction with the groove 1) to firmly clamp the needle in position, and said plate a is adapted to be adj ustably secured to the slide 1), by means of a screw 6 which works through the plate and into the needle-bar head. But to securely hold the slide itself in its vertically adjusted position, a-second plate I) is provided through which and the needle-bar head works a screw 7 whereby the latter is adapted to hold the plate b against the slide b. When this plate b is loosened the slide can be shifted upward or downward, as required, while the needle is firmly retained in place. As soon as the needle begins to recede the further supply of thread thereto should be stopped so that the length of thread paid out by them, may have time to form a loop and to be with certainty entered by the looper. For this purpose it has been the practice hitherto to provide a lever such as e Fig. 19, on one side of the needlebar within a suitable groove so that it may with its forward end under the action of the spring 6 press upon the needle-bar head and lock or clamp the thread; but in consequence of the thread always passing through the same part between the leverend.and the needlebar head it eventually became hollowed out and rendered the clamping action of the two devices futile. To remove this inconvenience I provide the head of the needle-bar withv a bolt or pin 0, terminating in a head c said belt or pin 0, passing transversely through the needle-bar, andbein g encircled by a coiled spring 0 located in a recess in the needle bar and which by hearing at one end upon the rear wall of the recess and at its opposite end against a shoulder on the bolt or pin causes the head 0 to always lie in contact with the needle bar and firmly clamp the thread passing between said parts.

During the motion of the needle-bar the bolt 0 moves in contact with the cam cZ firmly secured to the frame of the machine. When the needle-bar begins to move back to the left as in Fig. 17 the said bolt is released and the thread clamped so that the length of thread fed to the needle is enabled to'form a loop for the looper to engage in.

In connecting or stitching together fabrics knitted in meshes or loops of uniform size and provided with a stiffened selvage it is desirable that each individual mesh should be connected with a corresponding mesh of the opposite edge and it is therefore a matter of great importance that the goods should be fed to the needle periodically or step by step throughout the length of the machine, to accomplish which result it is necessary that the size of the stitches should be adj ustable.

The feeding device in this machine is consequently arranged as follows:-Upon the shaft A of the feed roller A is mounted a disk is provided in its upper and lower surfaces with circular recesses or grooves k and k respectively with each of which engages one of the blocks P,Q (Figs. 21 and 22) secured respectively to the arms M and N. The arm M lies upon the diskk and is adj ustably retained in position by the plate or collar M screwed against it. The other arm N is arranged underneath the said disk It and is similarlyadjustable by means of the ring or collar N One end of the arm M is drawn by'a spring M in the direction of the arrow 1) while the other end is moved by the driving gear in the direction of the arrow 2 or 2' as the case may be. The spring M is secured to the holder or arm M Figs. 21 and 22 embedded in a peripheral groove in the disk is and pivotally connected to the arm M by means of a screw IIO 8. The said holder or arm M thus partakes more firmly pressed against the side walls of the recess k containing it, so that the disk must turn in the direction of the arrow w. This being so, when the arm moves in the direction of the arrow 2 the said blockis caused to assume a position in which its center line would be as indicated by the dotted line 0 0 in which position it becomes free so that the forward or left-hand end of the said arm M will, under the action of the spring M follow the motion of the holder M Without necessitating the expansion of the spring. The block P recedes within the recess or groove is in the disk It a sufficient distance only to allow of the motion of the arm although the said block constantly remains in contact with the walls of the annular groove so that itcan immediately carry it one step farther to assist the production of one stitch. During the backward motion of the arm M in the direction of the arrow 2 provision is made to prevent the disk is from revolving backward or getting out of position under the action of the fabric acted upon. For this purpose the arm N at the under side of 7a is provided with a block Q which is connected with the spring N and a holder or arm N. The farther end of the arm is provided with a slot 3 through which passes a screw secured in the frame of the machine. When the feeder is about to turn in the direction of the arrow x the edges of the block Q press firmly against the sides of the groove k and prevent the disk from turning backward but when the latter is turned by the other arm M in the direction of the arrow 00 the block Qfrees the sides of the recess 10 in a manner similar to that in which the block P frees the sides of recess is as hereinabove described, such freeing of the blocks being caused by reason of the arms N, M, being eccentrically mounted on shaft A as seen in Figs. 20 and 21, with relation to the disk is and grooves therein.

The arm M is operated as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 through the medium of the link r connected with a lever r the roller of which rests against the eccentric n Figs. 1 and 2. This eccentric is adjustable as shown in Figs. 14 and 15. The sleeve or block q is secured by means of the screw 15 upon the driving shaft H. The eccentric n is passed over this block and the set-screw 13 serves to adjust, it while the screw 14 retains it 'in the adjusted position.

The guide is applicable to fabric provided or un-provided with a selvage. The edge or selvage of knitted fabric tends to roll up of its own accord. The object of the guiding device hereinafter described is therefore both to unroll the edges of such fabrics and to carry them toward the stitching-needle at the desired level.

A guide for fabrics provided with aselvage is illustrated in Figs. 23 to 28. The main part B is provided with a slot R Fig. 23 and a tongue B. On either side of its main portion are arranged side-pieces or cheeks S S beveled at their forward edges so as to enable the guide to approach as near as possible the point of contact of the feed rollers A and B as shown in Fig. 28. Each of these side pieces is adapted to engage by means of a small projection 16 and 17, Fig. 26 in the slot R of the piece R and the checks are jointed together as at S Fig. 26, within a slot 3 of the main part B. A screw 10 carrying the two nuts T and T enables the said cheeks S and S to be adjusted so that between the latter and the tongue there remains a space of greater or less width as shown in Figs. 27 and 25 respectively so that finer or coarser fabrics may by the same guide, be conveyed to the feeding rollers. Between the upper portions of the cheeks S S is inserted a spring T whereby the said checks are held against the nuts T and T by a yielding pressure so-that they can be slightly shifted should some parts of the fabric passing the guide be thicker than the rest. The screw nuts T and T however enable the cheeks S S to be adjusted in such a manner that the fabric can pass through without pressure.

A guide for fabrics with the selvages cut elf is illustrated in Figs. 29 to 33. The main part of this guide is shown in Fig. 29, and the guide is shown complete in Fig. 31 as seen from one side. To the main part V are screwed the side pieces WV W. Down to the part indicated by the dotted line p p these side pieces abut against the main piece V while lower down they are offset so as to be sufficient distance apart from the latter to enable the fabric to pass between (as shown by the dot and dash lines in Fig. 33). The fabric unrolls at the edge-pieces 11 and 12. Over the side pieces W and W are secured the plates X and X, the forward edges of which are bent inwardly as shown in Fig. 33 so that they may take up their position between the tongues y g and y formed on the part Y. Owing to the side-pieces W and W, the two edges which it is desired to connect by an over-cast stitch are raised to a somewhat higher level than that provided for by the tongues y 111 Fig. 32, with the result that the edges of the goods are turned over outwardly and in which condition they are presented to the point of the stitching needle a. According to the position to which the parts Y X andX are adjusted the fabrics may be thus turned over to a greater or less extent.

The manner in which the guide is attached to the machine is shown in Fig. 6. An overhanging arm Z is provided which is secured to the machine, which arm is provided with a projection or bracket Z which is vertically adjustable on the arm Z by means'of screws Z: The guide is secured to the bracket Z by means of screws Z or the like.

All the improvements herein described are also applicable to machines in which the feed roller Bis held by an arm m in a position enabling pieces of fabric of any size to be conrowlbs

veyed through the feeding rollers asexemplified in Fig. 7.

I claim 1. In a sewing machine of the class described, the combination with a horizontallyreciprocating needle, of a looper adapted to cooperate with said needle toform a stitch, the holder G having a vertical opening in which the looper is vertically adj ustalole, the bar G provided with a horizontal opening in which the holder G is horizontally adjustable, a lever G provided with a horizontal slot in which slot the bar G is laterally adjustable, a roller on said lever, a revolving shaft, a disk thereon having a cam groove in which rides the said roller, a second disk mounted on said revolving shaft and provided in its face with a cam-groove, a rock shaft provided with arms one of which supports the lever G and the other being provided with a pin or stud adapted to ride in the camgroove of said second disk, as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a sewing machine of the class described, the combination with stitch-forming mechanism, of rotatable feed rollers A, B, having sockets or recesses in their upper ends shafts upon which said rollers are mounted, a squared projection g on the shaft B, a needle-block y, arranged in the'recess of roller B and fitted upon said projection, and having an angular portion the upper face whereof lies slightly above the upper edge of said roller, a screw y securing the needle block to the projection 3 and a groove in the upper face of said angular portion of the needle block, as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a sewing machine of the class described, the combination with stitch-forming mechanism of rotatable feed rollers A, B, having sockets or recesses in their upper portions, shafts upon which said rollers are mounted, a squared projection g on the shaft B, a needle-block 'y, arranged in the recess of roller B and fitted upon said projection and having an angular portion, the upper face whereof lies slightly above the upper edge of said roller, a screw y securing the needle block to the projection 3 a groove in the upper face of said angular portion of the needle block, an arm K extending along the inner wall of the feed roller A and projecting above the upper edge of the same, all as and for the purposes specified. Y

4. In a sewing machine of the class described, the combination with stitch-forming mechanism, of rotatable feed rollers A, B, having sockets or recesses in their upper portions, shafts upon which said rollers are mounted, a squared projection g on the shaft B, a needle-block y, arranged in the recess of roller B and fitted upon said projection and having an angular portion, the upper face whereof lies slightly above the upper edge of said roller, a screw y securing the needleblock to the projection g a groove in the upper face of said angular portion of the needle block, and a rail L arranged above the upper edges of the feed rollers and having a downward extension, a slot in said extension, and a set-screw passing through the said slot and into the needle-block, all as and for the I purposes specified.

5. In a sewing machine of the character described, the combination with stitch-forming mechanism, of a feeding mechanism, comprising the feed rollers, rotatable shafts upon which said rollers are mounted, a disk 10, mounted on one of said shafts and provided with circular recesses or grooves in its upper and lower surfaces, the arms M and N secured upon the disk, the blocks P and Q respectively carried by said arms and engaging with the grooves or recesses, the arms M and N pivotally connected at one end to the arms M and N respectively, springs connecting the opposite ends of the arms M N with the arms M, N, respectively, and means for operating the arm M in the manner and for the purpose specified.

6. In a machine of the character described a fabric guide comprising the piece R provided with aslot and a tongue R, guide pieces S, S pivoted together in said slot, an adj usting screw adapted to efiect a lateral adjustment of the pieces S, S, for the purpose specified.

7. In a machine of the character described, the fabric guide comprising the piece R provided with a slot and a tongue R, guide pieces S, S, pivoted together in said slot, an adjusting screw adapted to efiect the lateral adjustment of the pieces S, S, and a coiled spring passing through the piece R and bearing upon the pieces S, S, for the purpose specified.

- In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses,

JULIUS KOHLER.

Witnesses:

R. E. JAHN, WILLIAM R. MATTHEs. 

